Want to Drive Email Conversions? Try Discounts

According to a new survey, email’s value as a retail marketing tool is not lessening among younger consumers.

According to a new survey, email’s value as a retail marketing tool is not lessening among younger consumers.

A November 2017 survey of US internet users ages 18 to 44 from SendinBlue found that email overwhelmingly remains the way that consumers want to receive information from retailers.

Nearly two-thirds (63.2%) of respondents identified email as their preferred communication channel with retailers. That was well above the 13.6% who preferred text messaging, and the 12.8% who named social media as their channel of choice.

Why does email remain so popular with consumers? Email is an opt-in communication method, which helps tamp down the chance that brands or advertisers are overstepping their bounds and annoying potential customers. In addition, email allows smart marketers to find a sweet spot where messages are customized to consumers, but not to a degree where they come off as creepy.

But those overseeing email lists still need to be careful not to overdo it. A July 2017 survey from Advanis for Adobe found that getting emailed too often was the top annoyance of email marketing among US business professionals.

However, when done correctly, email can have a positive effect on outcomes. SendinBlue’s survey found that email recipients moved to take an action after receiving a message were most effectively motivated by the offer of a sale or other promotion. In fact, the company found that nearly 60% of respondents were influenced by such discounting.

Recommendations based on a recipient’s past purchases also had an effect, but at a much lower level. Only 18.6% of those polled were inspired to take action following an email that contained such information.